Residents and visitors to Tai'an now have the opportunity to learn much more about the Shandong province city's heritage, after Tai'an Museum opened a new exhibition hall displaying a treasure trove of never-before-seen cultural artifacts on Oct 31.

Panels with illustrations, pictures, precious cultural relics are on display in the new branch of Tai'an Museum.[Photo/1545ts.com]

The old Tai'an Museum has delighted visitors for years thanks to its stunning location inside Dai Temple, the largest and best preserved architectural complex on Mount Tai, the famous mountain that looms over Tai'an. But the temple's limited exhibition space has meant that the museum has been unable to display large portions of its collection of precious cultural relics.

Tai'an Museum has overcome this by opening a new 850-square-meter exhibition hall on the third floor of Taishan International Convention Center. The new space allows the museum to put an extra 20,000 artifacts on display, including works of pottery, porcelain, iron and cobber instruments, coins and sculptures.

The new exhibition hall is divided into four sections, each of which is devoted to a different theme.

Mount Tai Shuilu paintings depicting Daoism rituals are on display in the new branch of Tai'an Museum. [Photo/1545ts.com]

Most notable of these is possibly the section devoted to Mount Tai Shuilu paintings, a distinctive local style of paintings depicting grand Daoist or Buddhist religious rituals or gods and divinities from local folk tales.

Another section contains a collection of inscriptions that have been carved into rocks on Mount Tai over the centuries.

Visitors appreciate stone inscriptions in the new branch of Tai'an Museum. [Photo/1545ts.com]

A series of accompanying texts and videos in the hall also gives visitors precise and interesting information about Tai'an's local history, natural scenery and cultural treasures.

Mrs Shang, a local teacher, said the more vivid descriptions in the new exhibition hall will help local pupils gain a better understanding of their hometown.